During the manufacture of a semiconductor device, a plurality of die are typically formed within and on a wafer of semiconductor material. After the plurality of die are formed the wafer is sliced to segment the plurality of die using a die saw. To slice the wafer it is attached to a metal frame by an adhesive film. A mount on the die saw receives the frame and wafer, and a blade of the die saw moves back and forth across the wafer. The blade begins at a first position, and contacts and cuts the wafer as it travels across the wafer in one direction. After the blade completes the cut across the wafer, the blade is removed from wafer contact and is returned to the first position, and another pass across the wafer is begun. Thus the blade cuts the wafer during the first pass across the wafer, but does not cut the wafer as it returns to the starting position.
Maximizing throughput during any step of a semiconductor manufacturing process is desirable due to the high volume of parts moving through a semiconductor fabrication facility. A method and apparatus which allows for increased throughput through the wafer slicing step would decrease costs, increase production, and would therefore be desirable.